Full disclosure- Welcome Home to the Fox Valley is mostly a Real Estate blog but it is also about all things Fox Valley. I not only sell real estate, but I sell our community and neighborhoods. Welcome Home to the Fox Valley focuses on why we should chose to live in an area that features frigid winters and beautiful, short summers.

Raising children is the most important and hardest job you will ever have in your life. I often see posts on Facebook from Mom’s experiencing difficult times. Their little ones are driving them crazy, they need a break, and they are either single or their significant other is out of town or working several jobs. While commiserating on Facebook with other Mom’s allows venting, there is free help right in our community. B.A.B.E.S, Inc. offers free respite care and counseling for young parents up to the age of 27 in order to help prevent child abuse before it happens.

The mission of B.A.B.E.S., Inc. is committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect by providing safe no-cost respite care, educational support and services, and counseling to young families. Many young parents lack support from family because of our mobile society, or their families’ are just too busy to help. Asking for help doesn’t make you a lesser parent. B.A.B.E.S, Inc doesn’t judge who you are or your economic status, they just want to help. For instance, B.AB.E.S., Inc. recently honored a beautiful young military family. Dad was deployed and not only did Mom worry about him, she had the responsibility of single parenting. She knew that she needed help and reached out to B.A.B.E.S, Inc. The family spoke highly of the help and respite care they received. It really made a difference in their lives.

Over the last year, I helped plan and execute B.A.E.B.E.S, Inc, biggest fundraiser of the year, HAT’S OFF to BABES 2018, Lip Sync Challenge 3.0 which took place last week. We had a great turnout and 5 fabulous teams helping to raise money through their Lip Sync teams. I encourage you to get involved, either with a team for next year, volunteering, or as a parent who needs some time away from their little ones.

Often times, parents don’t know where to go or how to ask for help. We are so blessed to have a non profit free organization such as B.A.B.E.S, Inc. in our community. Please don’t be afraid to ask for help.

The temperatures dropped, corn and soybean harvest is in full swing with the geese enjoying the leftovers, the woolly caterpillars emerged, and it is time to pack away the sandals and shorts. I personally cringe at the falling temperatures and thoughts of the long winter ahead but also take joy in the changing colors of the trees, walking through the rustling leaves, and looking at everyone’s fall decor.

Octoberfest may have come and gone but our area offers a plethora of fall activities both for families and adults. I encourage you to take some time away from your fall clean-up and experience some of what our area has to offer. Buying your apples or pumpkins at the grocery store or Farmer’s Markets lacks the same experience and fun that picking your own at the pumpkin patch, corn maze, and apple orchard offers, especially if you have children. Although I must admit, even though we are empty nesters we still go to the apple orchards on a regular basis. We find the apples taste so much better when we pick our own, talk to the growers, and watch the small children running around experiencing nature and all that it has to offer. Click here for information on local pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and apple orchards.

Of course, picking apples and finding the perfect pumpkin are only a small portion of what you can experience in the Fox Valley in the fall. There are haunted houses, pumpkin carving contests, boo- fest, Halloween walks, trunk or treat activities, trick or treat, and other spoo-tacular activities. Click here for more.

If celebrating Halloween isn’t your cup of tea and you prefer something a little more stout, the area offers many Brew, winery tours, and tastings. It is a great time to take a little road trip to visit a winery, or visit the 2nd Annual Craft Beer Walk in Downtown Appleton this Saturday, October 14. The following weekend you shop local as you take part in the 9th Annual Soup Walk.

Falling temperatures and leaves doesn’t mean it is time to stay home. Before you cuddle up in front of the fire take advantage of some of our areas best offerings. The Fox Valley offers something for everyone. Please comment and add your favorite fall activity in the area.

One wouldn’t consider a blog post on touching my heart real estate related, but since real estate reflects on heart and home, this article is appropriate.

Living in a small community such as the Fox Cities offers plenty of benefits, both those related to life and those related to giving to others such as cancer benefits. Having attended and helped with different benefits prompted me to write this article, not necessarily because these events are particularly different than the ones helping the victims of Irma, Maria, or Harvey, but because they really touch home. I firmly believe that inherently, there are good caring people all over this world. What sets the benefits apart in our communities, is that we often personally know the people on the receiving end.

For example, this summer I had the opportunity to spend the day at the Spierings Rock Cancer benefit at Doyle Park in Little Chute. Believe it or not, I tried to volunteer but they were full. Imagine that! We decided to attend the benefit with our very good friends because they are living and unfortunately eventually dying with cancer. Our friends were recipients of a donation courtesy of all the people attending, sponsoring, and donating to the Spierings Rock Cancer Foundation. This donation touched the hearts of my friends, consequently touching my heart. We also saw the names of others we know or knew who also benefited from the generosity of our small community with a big heart.

Another local non profit touching my heart is .B.A.B.E.S.,INC . My “friends” got me involved in B.A.B.E.S. Hats Off! 2017 and now 2018. As a former teacher and Big Sister/ Big Brothers, I experienced child abuse several times, breaking my heart. B.AB.E.S. does so much for the young parents and children in our community through education, respite care, and counseling to help alleviate child abuse in our community. On Facebook, I see so many young moms calling out for help. B.A.B.E.S., Inc is a wonderful free resource helping parents get on their feet so they can support themselves and their children in a positive environment. Unbeknownst to me, when I attended last years event, I discovered that a friend of mines daughter used B.A.B.E.S., Inc so she could go to school, get a degree, a job, and take care of her young child. How heartwarming that I got to volunteer for an organization that helped someone I knew. The money donated and the time volunteered stayed right here in our community.

So in ending, how is this real estate related? I enjoy selling homes to people in a community where you can see that people’s hearts’ are in the right place. I like to be able to tell newcomers stories about how our community steps up not only to help people in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, but right here in our community. Plus,organizations such as B.A.B.E.S., Inc helping parents get an education, jobs, ultimately allows them to buy a home in which to raise their happy family.